Characters from Parks and Recreation We All Work With
The Donna Meagle
Donna may be the most confident of all of your co-workers. She walks with an air about her that is unparalleled, both in the workplace, and among those most of us have known in any home or social setting. You wonder what her personal like must be like such that she comes into work as cool as the other side of the pillow, head held high, with the smile of a Cheshire cat that assures you and everyone else that whatever she may have done last night, it must have been better than the Grilled Chicken Caesar/Netflix combo you were pretty happy about until Donna strolled in. Although you all have similar roles in your organization with relatively similar salaries, you notice that Donna is always dressed in designer clothes, handbags from Louis Vuitton(or UP), Gucci, Jimmy Chu – you name the designer, Donna’s got it. Your Nissan Altima is a great car you are happy to drive into the parking lot each day, but always find the spot next to a white Mercedes, which Donna somehow turns over every year for the newest model. How she manages this lifestyle is simply confounding to you. But rather than live and work with envy, or rally the troops against her for the ostentatious lifestyle she enjoys, you simply enjoy it vicariously through Donna. She is good at what she does, never leaving her work undone, and is such a fun person to have around, she sets the standard for all on how to ‘Treat Yourself’!
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The April Ludgate
April is a challenge to work with day to day. She has never put in a solid day’s work, and usually spends more time on her phone, or gossiping with the very small clique she’s created instead of at least pretending to be hard at work. You snarl and find yourself looking down at April on most days, but always take at least a moment or two to shake your head and chuckle, somewhat in admiration of how brazenly she ignores work, deadlines, her superiors, and simply does what she wants at all points of the day. You can’t help but wonder if she has something over the boss, or has a well-placed relative in the executive suite. There is no other logical explanation for why she is allowed to do what she does (or doesn’t) each day. Unless…there is that particular skill that she possesses and no one else does. It is subtle, but when you pay attention closely enough, you see that she is given some of the higher profile assignments, talking to VIP clients, or even bringing messages to the executives from the leaders of your organization. But why April? It’s clear once you think through it. She doesn’t care. She will be rattled, appear nervous, fumble over her words, or be such a ‘pleaser’ of a communicator that your VIP client or bossy executive will ever send her back to your leadership team with negative feedback, or additional work to do, etc. April always returns from her assignments with the message of ‘great job’, ‘well done’, which allows the team and the leaders to simply steer their ship, do what they do-BAU. That is just how they want it, and it’s a role no one could fill better than April. So, if she sits laser-focused on her smartphone for the other thirty-eight hours a week, so be it.
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The Andy Dwyer
Andy is awesome to have around the office. He is beyond fun and lovable, and even if he has shown to lack any meaningful skill in just about any function you believe is necessary for the team and organization to function, you simply don’t care. If you need something run to the mail room, the fax machine, upstairs to the boss’ office, or anywhere else Andy is your guy. And as long as you are okay with that piece of mail or that fax not getting to its destination, or the message to the boss being entirely misstated, you and Andy will get along fabulously. He knows how to have fun at work, and makes it fun for everyone. When you think of the quintessential ‘good sport’, Andy is it, lacking the ‘shame’ gene, and completely unable to be offended no matter what you say to or about him. Not that anyone would ever say a bad word to Andy, or try to offend him, but it wouldn’t matter. You wonder where on the spectrum between thick-skinned and oblivious Andy resides, but you simply don’t care. And the lack of solid production you don’t care either. You are more than happy to pick up the considerable slack that trails behind Andy, shielding the bosses from the minimal productive work he actually does because the office just wouldn’t be the same without him.
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The Ron Swanson
There are people who take their work seriously, those who seem to work so hard they rarely find the time or interest to crack a smile, and there is Ron Swanson. He is a every bit a throwback to the bosses of yester-year. He is in charge, and while he doesn’t wield it like a dictator or ‘hard-ass’, he simply embodies the term ‘In Charge’, and everyone knows and respects it. What he says, goes. And when he jumps most people are perfectly okay with asking ‘how high?’. As you get to know Ron you come to feel that he actually has it all figured out. He is loyal to the company, but only because he works here. He has no real interest in what the company does, nor where it is going. This is the company that pays his salary so he’ll do what needs to be done and no more. He is neither forward-thinking nor innovative, living very much in the now. He actually possesses a great deal of wisdom with an incredible understanding of why we are here, and it is neither to serve the company, nor to party on the weekend. He believes that hard, meaningful work is the life worth living. And while you know it will not be found inside the four walls of your office, you learn of the true meaningful hobbies and interests Ron invests his true self in afterhours and on weekends, which lead you to consider the many wasted days and hours you spend believing that it is all designed to simply decompress from the 40 hours you put in each week. Ron knows the secret to requited passion is living the life you want, while working the job that funds your passion.
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The Tom Haverford
Tom is the smooth character in the office. Like Donna his ability to ‘live the good life’ is astounding. He is more junior in his role than Donna, than you, and than many people on the team, yet he either dresses like he walks to work on the red carpet, although you assume most days he steps out of a limousine. How does he do it? He is the offspring of a real estate mogul, or come from old money of the oil or steel industry? Did he invent an app that exploded for a year, made his fortune, and it went out of style within a year? Or, is he so in debt he will just figure out a way to keep adding to it until the big dreams of fame and fortune finally come through and pay it all back then? You are more baffled by his lifestyle than Donna’s and anyone else’s, but the fact is, you love Tom’s presence in the office and on the team. He truly is as sharp as they come. He is super intelligent, the ultimate forward-thinker, and if more of the upper level management team would listen to some of his ideas, you have no doubt it would sky rocket past even your toughest competitors. You have a sense you won’t have Tom around for long. He is good at what he does, but he is a force that cannot be contained. You hope you are good enough to him, and show him how much talent you have that when he does make it big, he remembers you and welcomes you to take that magic carpet ride with him.
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The Leslie Knope
Some refer to it as ‘drinking the company Kool-Aid’, while others just consider them ‘company men and women’. Leslie is even more loyal, focused, and dedicated than any of them. She is entirely unflappable. Her optimism cannot be cracked, as she will bring a smile to your face, a beam of light on your darkest day, and bring you from anxious or sadness to a place of peace and happiness. You see how joy can be contagious when spread by an honest, genuine person. There is nothing fake about Leslie, and she never tries to be something she’s not. She is more like the Ron Swanson than meets the eye, loyal to the company that pays her paycheck, always focused on getting the job done right. But Leslie is more concerned with the goals and advancement of the industry than simply the company. She is looking to make a difference in the world, and believes that can be achieved through the success of the company. It is why she works so hard, believes in everyone’s capabilities to the highest degree, and will stop at nothing to ensure everyone is happy, engaged in the work the company does, and cares about the professional, and personal, success of every team member. Leslie never forgets a birthday or special occasion, and will come through with the most thoughtful, over-the-top ways to recognize your special days. Like Tom, Leslie will move on some day to bigger and better things. Although she has never considered the company whose work you share to be inferior to any other, but she knows there are opportunities in the world to bring her closer to fulfilling her true mission of making the world, not just a company, a better place where peace abounds and everyone loves each other. It is a beautiful dream, but one Leslie lives inside of and will dedicate her life to making it come true
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